The Tale of Two Dragons
by OmegaGear
Summary: A mysterious martial artist comes to Japan searching for the Hóngzhong. What is he looking for and why will he stop at nothing to destroy it?
1. Another Day Another Battle

Disclaimer: You know what all this stuff means, so why bother reading it? All characters but the ones I create for this purpose of this fanfic are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi. Don't get any funny ideas about suing me.

**Ranma ½: The Tale of Two Dragons**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter 1: Another Day. Another ****Battle******

Ranma stood with his arms resting at his sides. The cool morning breeze of a newborn fall sent a chill over his sweat covered body, but he quickly warmed himself with his chi. Ranma took a deep breath and cleared his mind, preparing for his daily morning sparring session with his father. He closed his eyes softly and let himself appear completely at ease.

His father, Genma, stood just as calm from across the yard next to the koi pond, although his face was sharp with determination. He tightened his belt around his gi one last time and glared at his son. "Boy, are you ready?"

Ranma gave no response save for a gentle exhaling of his lungs and the opening of his eyes. Despite claming he was ready; he looked totally unprepared to fight. He looked too loose and free, too careless. Even those who knew nothing of martial arts would say he wasn't in the right state of mind to be fighting.

"Very well," Genma acknowledged, tilting his head so that the rising sun reflected off of his glasses. He stretched his arms at his sides and took a quick breath as he readied for combat. He took his usual stance, one leg in front of the other on its toes with the other more firmly planted. His arms were tensed as his hands balled into tight fists and were raised, ready to attack or defend if needed. "Let's see what you've learned…"

Ranma gave no vocal response. He instead flung his arms through the air in fluid motions. His hands were straight with the fingers and thumbs pressed together like boards of wood. As he settled into his stance he stood much in the same position as his father, but with his hands straight and arms and legs more loosely formed. As he saw his father hunch lower in preparation, he began his newly trained technique.

Ranma stepped sideways slowly and gracefully, keeping his eyes on his father as he circled him. As he did so, he began to extend his ki outward, creating a cool area around the two martial artists. Ranma didn't thoroughly enjoy the amount of time it took to prepare the technique, but was confident in its ability.

Genma watched Ranma with a firm glare. He could feel the area encircling him begin to cool slightly and tensed, marveling Ranma's level of control over his ki. _Impressive, boy, but you haven't shown me anything yet. Letting go of his thoughts, Genma sprang forward with a cry and lunged at Ranma with his fist._

Ranma stopped his circling dance and changed directions, evading the attack while brushing the arm aside with his right hand. Genma responded by spinning to his left and lifting his leg in an overhead roundhouse. Ranma easily ducked, spreading his arms with a grace most would associate with dancing. As he got to his feet he struck his hand outwards and poked Genma in the gut more mockingly than seriously.

Genma stepped back and rubbed his stomach where he had been poked more amazed than in pain. Refusing to let his mentality falter, he sprang forward again, attacking more quickly and varyingly. He quickly began a complex kata of high and low strikes, but found that Ranma was able to parry each move with just his hands. Most surprising of all was the speed that Ranma moved with. His arms moved sharply to block, but regained their grace immediately afterwards. Each time he moved to block, his body seemed to snake at angles impossible to balance. His upper body would extend forwards while his legs slid back. When twisting around, Ranma would skip slightly, keeping his body in a constant motion that almost entranced his father,

As Genma's kata came to an end, Ranma struck again. He brought both his arms to parry a punch, locking Genma's arm tightly between his left hand and right elbow. With a quick motion, his right arm extended, bringing Ranma's newly formed fist to the side of Genma's head.

Genma cried as the blow threw him off balance, but quickly returned to a battle stance. Ranma had returned to circling around him, still holding a calm look on his face. _With the boy so calm, I can't read his attacks. Genma thought out his strategy as Ranma continued to circle him, his ki continuing to cool the area around them. __He's learned well._

Ranma kept a constant pace with his feet steeping one over the other. He breathed in through his nose and out his mouth as his aura filled the air around him. A constant flow of ki in and out of his body made his body both light and strong. It had taken him over a month to master the flowing art of Baqua Zhang. He would have done it much sooner had he not decided to perfect the art by incorporating his ki into it. He soon discovered that by letting his ki flow outwards, his body could sense everything he encircled, almost like he was the wind itself.

This revelation was overwhelming at first, causing Ranma to be overcome by his expanding senses. His first time in the flow of ki made him dizzy, and he eventually fainted, causing everyone to panic. His second time wasn't as bad, but still was more than Ranma could handle. It wasn't until two weeks and eleven more sessions in the expanded ki that Ranma was able to concentrate his senses on a single object within the space. Now, he was showing his father the results of his training and enjoying it greatly.

Sensing no change in the boy's state of being, Genma took the offensive once again. He entered another kata, this time attempting a sweep while Ranma moved to parry his high punches. This proved more trouble than good for Genma, as Ranma stopped the sweep by stepping on his foot. Ranma released Genma's foot, but quickly kicked his shin with the same foot, forcing him to bend forward.

Genma didn't have any time to react to his pain as he found a palm flying for his face. He quickly blocked it with his forearm, but was too off balance to remain standing. He fell back, tumbling to the ground with his arm still thrown over his face.

Genma stared at Ranma wide-eyed, trying to figure out what was going on. _Ranma's movements… his ability to react so easily… Baqua Zhang shouldn't be this effective. He got to his feet again and wiped some sweat from his brow. __Very well… then I mustn't give him a chance to attack and wear him down!_

Genma dashed forward and attack furiously, alternating arms and legs in a barrage of highs and lows. Ranma continued to move like water as he danced around the older man, blocking each blow with just his open palms and light feet.

As the violent dance continued, Genma soon became aware of the folly in his plan. His body was starting to feel heavy as he threw more attacks at the boy and his lungs felt short of air. "You've gotten better, Ranma," he said, giving a fake smirk. "What's say we call it a day, hmm?"

Ranma didn't respond to his father's pathetic attempt at stopping their sparring exercise. He noticed that his blows were becoming slower, and knew it wouldn't be long before he would end it.

"Mr. Saotome! Ranma! Breakfast is ready!" Kasumi called from the dinning room.

Genma instantly stopped and spun on his heels. "Be right there Kasumi! Ah!"

Ranma hadn't stopped to dash to the table like he normally did. He struck his father in the ribs with his palm and again on his lower chest with the back of his fist. Moving through a flowing kata, Ranma dropped his father to the ground in a daze while he made his way to the table. "Gee, pop, aren't you the one always saying 'you're too sloppy'?" Ranma didn't find Baqua Zhang to be a very practical form of martial arts, but was satisfied with its effectiveness. Ranma smiled as he sat down and was handed a bowl of rice.

Genma didn't say anything, but mumbled as he took his own bowl from Kasumi.

"Come now, Saotome," Soun said, patting his old friend on the shoulder. "You should be proud that Ranma has become such an outstanding martial artist."

Genma grumbled at his friend's attempts at consoling him. He ate his food with intent as Soun continued.

"It's only a matter of time before Ranma is worthy of inheriting the school," he claimed, leaning over to speak to his friend more privately. "And you know what that means," he said too loudly, chuckling to himself and his friend.

"Dad, cut that out!" Akane yelled form across the table.

Soun choked on his own words and gave Akane an all too familiar look of surprise. "But Akane," he pleaded. "Don't you want to see the school prosper?" He leaned over the table, fake tears forming around his sad eyes. "Don't you want to bring honor to the Tendo name?"

"Oh please, dad" Akane said, closing her eyes in amusement. She had really gotten tired of her dad's routine act, although it was pretty amusing that he continued to do it. "Would you stop it with the act already?"

"Akane!" Soun cried, tears running down his cheeks.

"Geez, Mr. Tendo, I'm surprised with you, putting so much responsibility on Akane like that," Ranma said lightly. Everyone turned to look at him as he continued to eat his breakfast at a quick pace. "Akane's life is hard enough as it is, being an uncute tomboy and all."

Akane visibly flinched at hearing Ranma's words. Her eyes shut tightly and she began to growl as she broke her chopsticks.

"Not to mention not being able to cook even canned vegetables," Ranma added.

By this time, Akane was burning with anger, but Ranma didn't seem to notice since he continued his insults. "She's so far behind already, there's no way she could possibly carry on the dojo in addition to all that."

"Ranma!" Akane yelled, tightening her small hands into fists.

"Hmm?" Ranma asked, chopsticks hanging from his mouth.

Akane was trembling with anger as she turned her burning eyes upon him. "You jerk!" she screamed, swinging her arm around and slapping Ranma on the cheek. The sound of flesh hitting flesh was loud enough to make everyone, even Nabiki, cringe. Akane was still trembling as she sat towards Ranma with her hand suspended in the air.

Ranma didn't turn his head back around, but stared sideways with wide eyes. He reached for his cheek with his hand and flinched in pain as it touched the sensitive area on his face. Slowly, he brought his fingers back and rubbed the area that now burned hot to his touch.

Ranma was used to being hit, but it felt different this time. Over the two years he spent with the Tendos, there was one thing he knew for sure, and that was that Akane was really upset if she slapped him. Getting crushed by tables or mallets was pretty normal anger venting, but a slap usually meant Ranma had some lecturing heading his way.

_Oh man, what did I do now? He thought to himself, still rubbing his cheek in shock. "Uh…" he blinked a few times as he timidly turned his head on his neck to look at the girl next to him. Her shoulders were still trembling violently as she seemed to be holding something back. "Akane?" Ranma asked innocently._

Akane slammed her hands on the table and gripped the sides. Without so much as a huff, she lifted it and threw it sideways into Ranma's face.

No one said a word. They all simply gathered the plates of food and drew them back to save them from flying onto the walls. As Ranma's head was dropped to the ground by the wooden table, Akane got up and ran away, tears finally breaking through her show of anger.

Everyone was used to this, although they really wish it would stop. As Genma pulled the table off of Ranma's face and set it down, Soun let out a sigh.

"Ranma," he beckoned. His voice was low and serious, a sharp contrast to its humorous tone just moments ago. "Was that really necessary?" he asked, turning to address Ranma directly.

Ranma sat back up and rubbed his head and neck to work out the sores. "What are you talking about?" he asked, irritated. "She's the one who did it."

"She did it because you upset her," Soun said frankly.

Ranma's mouth hung open as he started to conjure up a retort, but found that he had none. His eyes were slightly wide while he pointed at Soun with his chopsticks, but all seriousness was lost on him. He just couldn't deny this time, but that didn't mean he was going to bow.

"Ranma…" his mother said, sounding a little disappointed.

Ranma looked up at his mother to his left and examined her sad face. "What's wrong, mother?" he asked.

Nodoka put the sleeve of her kimono to her small lips and closed her eyes as if she was ashamed of what she was about to say. "You really shouldn't speak about your fiancé like that."

"Huh?" Ranma sunk back into a shocked state. It may not have sounded like much, but from his mother, that was quite the scolding for him. Even in the worst cases, she always supported him, but not this time. "But I've always…"

"That doesn't mean you can keep doing this," she said, making her words more firm. Everyone was watching them now, not wanting to disrupt the conversation even by eating.

Ranma was about to protest, but couldn't bring himself to. He could do anything; anything, but argue with his mother. He relaxed and let his shoulders slump. He knew he had to apologize, but wasn't sure how. After two years of the same thing he still didn't know how to approach Akane afterwards. "I'll go apologize…" he said, getting to his feet. He tried to look confident, but felt like he dragged himself out of the room with his head hanging low.

****

Akane burst through her bedroom door without once opening her burning eyes. Without even thinking, she slammed the door hard enough to threaten the wood into shattering, but it somehow held. "Ranma… you jerk!" she sobbed, pressing her face into her pillow as she spread herself on her bed. She found little comfort on the soft mattress and pressed with all her might, hoping she would somehow disappear. Akane hated how Ranma treated her, especially since it brought the worst out of her.

"That jerk!" she cursed into her pillow. Her crying didn't cease the slightest, making her whole body quiver. She couldn't stand it anymore. All she wanted was for Ranma to see that he hurt her, but he continued to be the same jerk even now, two years later. "Can't he see I'm trying to get better?" Akane continued to cry out whatever crossed her mind. "Can't he see I'm doing it all for him?"

A knock at the door could barely be heard through her sobs, but the voice at the other end of the door was all too familiar. "Akane?" Ranma asked through the wooden barrier.

"Go away!" Akane screamed, still crying uncontrollably. Just hearing Ranma's voice made her chest burn with anger, yet her heart seemed to feel the worst pain ever at the same time.

"Akane…" Ranma said again, sounding sincere. "Can I come in?"

Akane was silent for a moment. She took deep breathes, heaving and coughing as she fought to get control of herself. When she had quieted down to mere sniffles, she wiped her face. "Please… just leave me alone," Akane asked, almost sounding like she was begging.

There was an uncomfortable silence for what seemed an eternity. Akane would have assumed Ranma left had she not been able to sense him on the other end of the door. Akane refused to move. She couldn't, not with him watching her like that. She knew Ranma could sense her at that very moment. Ranma always could, but he was always an idiot about it. Finally, she heard a step out side of her door as Ranma must have turned around to leave.

"I'm sorry, Akane," came Ranma's voice through the door. The sound of footsteps followed, fading as he descended down the stairs.

Akane let the words hang in the air while she silenced the last of her tears. It was rare for Ranma to be so sincere, especially to her. Akane felt her heart flutter at the thought of how Ranma spoke to her just moments ago and newly formed tears again rained from her eyes. "Ranma…" Akane buried her face into her pillow again, hiding the emotions that swelled in her heart. "You jerk…"

****

Genma and Soun sat as they usually did, playing a game of shogi. Neither, however, was paying attention to the game. Everyone could hear Akane yelling at Ranma from her room that morning, and knew by the way he returned to the table that he was unable to make up with her. Usually they wouldn't let it bother them, but the routine was starting to wear them down.

After breakfast, Ranma decided to return to practice. For nearly an hour, Ranma did nothing but basic striking exercises against a wooden post. He didn't rest, say a word, or even divert his gaze from the slowly cracking wood.

_Akane… what did I do wrong? He thought to himself as he continued to perform straight punches against the pole._

Genma and Soun were watching Ranma intently as he practiced aimlessly. "I've never seen the boy so distracted," Genma stated, crossing his arms.

Soun didn't look at his friend, but nodded in agreement. "He does seem troubled."

Ranma shouted out loud for the first time as he broke the pole. He used a simple straight fist to shatter the weakened area of the pole, but aimed it poorly due to his lack of concentration. Instead of striking the pole head on and shattering it away from him, his fist ran along the side, causing the larger shards to cut it. Ranma didn't verbalize his pain, but retracted his hand quickly and cradled it in his other.

Blood poured fairly quickly from the cuts on his hand. Ranma winced as he pulled a larger splinter from his knuckle when a soft hand grabbed his wrist.

"Here," Akane said, taking a damp clothe and removing the splinters from his hand.

Ranma said nothing, letting Akane tend to his wound in silence. He wanted to talk to her about earlier that morning, but didn't know what to say. What could he say? Here he was being taken care of by the same girl he had insulted to the point of crying just an hour ago. His conflicting thoughts were interrupted as an intense burning was felt on his hand. By reflex, he tightened his grip, getting a reaction from Akane.

"Sorry," she said, wiping his wound gently with a clothe that was probably soaked with medical alcohol. Ranma loosened his grip on her hand, ignoring the burning that the alcohol brought.

He watched her as she wrapped a bandage around his hand, and felt worse than before. He noticed that Akane refused to look at him, keeping her head tilted to hide her face from him. Ranma wasn't the brightest when it came to reading people, since he had spent most of his life alone with his father on the road, but he knew Akane. She wanted to make him feel better, but felt ashamed to look at him. "Akane?" he finally said.

Akane didn't respond immediately and released his hand. "I'm done," she said plainly, still hiding her face from him.

Ranma sighed as he rubbed the bandage around his right hand gently. The wound felt warm, but didn't hurt much, even when he applied pressure to it. "Thanks, Akane," he said. He stood facing her as the morning breeze blew her scent to him. She smelled like lavender, but the salty traces of tears could still be sensed in his nose. "Um…" he began.

"Akane," Nodoka called from inside the house. "Would you like to go shopping for clothes with me?"

Ranma mumbled at the interruption, but waited for Akane to make her reply.

"Sure, Auntie Saotome," she said. She turned slowly and walked into the house with her hands folded in front of her, never once lifting her eyes to look forward.

Nodoka smiled happily as Akane passed her to get her things and returned her attention to her son. Ranma looked puzzled to her and she smiled again. Her smile was more assuring to him, meaning she would talk to Akane about this morning while they were out.

Ranma nodded and began to clean up the splintered wood as his mother and fiancé left for the shopping district. He was nearly done gathering the larger pieces form the ground when Happosai came crashing onto his head. Ranma dropped the pile of wooden shards in his arms and fell backwards with Happosai tumbling after him.

As he got up, Ranma rubbed his head, cursing the pain that lingered. "Stupid old man!" he shouted. "What's the big idea falling out of nowhere like that!?" He shouted, turning around and preparing to grab the small martial arts master and punch him back into orbit.

He came to a sudden halt when he saw the old man sprawled on the ground, contorted in ways that shouldn't be possible. Smoke floated from his clothes while he twitched randomly, coughing quietly. Soun and Genma had run over from their game by now, wondering what was wrong.

"Master!" Soun shouted. "Master, what happened?"

Happosai only coughed out a puff of smoke in response, twitching a bit more from the heightened activity.

"He's practically knocked out," Ranma said, getting on all fours and examining him closer. Happosai's eyes were nearly perfect circles. His limbs were bent, stretched, and tied while he was overall burned. "What could have done this?" Ranma asked.

"I don't know," Soun said. He was trembling from the thought of something powerful enough to do this to his Master, whom so easily defeated him with a single finger. "Master… can you hear me?"

Happosai's mouth jittered as he mumbled something that the trio didn't hear. They all moved their ears closer. "Come again?" Genma asked. Again, Happosai mumbled, but still too quiet for them to make out.

"Master, you'll have to speak up," Soun said, cupping his ear.

Happosai coughed as he choked out the words one more time, but again, they couldn't make sense of his mumbles. Ranma growled and took the little pervert by the arms and shook him violently to try to bring him to his senses. "Damn it old man! Speak up so we can hear you!" he demanded.

"Ranma!" Genma shouted, grabbing his right arm to stop him from shaking the beaten man.

"Please, be reasonable, son," Soun pleaded, grabbing his other arm.

Ranma stopped shaking the old man, but glared at him. He was bare inches form Happosai as he spoke up as best he could. "Hmm?" Ranma turned his face over and put his ear to Happosai's mouth.

"How can you treat a poor, defenseless, old man like this?" he choked weakly.

The three students nearly fell over in disappointment, but managed to keep it to a low growl and piercing eyes.

"Why you…" Ranma growled as he lifted Happosai at eye level with him. "I'll teach you to fake trouble like that!" he shouted, slamming the old man into the ground and stomping on him.

****

"Thank you for coming with me, Akane," Nodoka said as the two walked out of a small bakery.

Akane was holding a small pastry that Nodoka had bought her, despite her insisting that she wasn't hungry. Akane was lying of course. Since she had left breakfast abruptly, she hadn't eaten much and crying for nearly an hour really took it out of her. "It's no problem," Akane said as she stared at the small treat in her hand. It was a French style tart with strawberries and blueberries on top of a sweet egg based paste. The fruit was coated with powdered sugar whish was in turn covered with some whipped cream. It was pretty expensive at 550 yen, but was one of Akane's favorite treats.

Nodoka smiled sweetly, but noticed that the girl hadn't touched her pastry. "What's wrong, Akane?"

"Nothing's wrong, auntie," she replied. Her voice sounded sweet, but her face was devoid of any emotion.

"Then why aren't you eating the pastry I bought you?" she asked, looking a little sad. "Ranma told me it was your favorite."

Akane looked up at the comment and nearly dropped the fragile pastry. "He did?"

Nodoka smiled again at getting that sort of response from her future daughter-in-law. "Oh my, yes he did." She said happily. "Ranma may seem difficult, but he tries," she continued.

Akane smiled slightly and took a bite of the pastry, the sweet powder of the sugar and nectar of the fruit seemed to affect her mood positively. "Thank you for the snack, Auntie Saotome."

"You're welcome" she said with a cheerful smile.

Akane giggled as she finished her little snack and wiped some powder from her mouth and nose. "Was there anything in particular you wanted to shop for?" Akane asked. She noticed that Nodoka was aimlessly walking forward, glancing into stores for only a moment while she passed them.

"Actually," Nodoka stopped walking and turned to face her companion. "I asked you to come with me, because I wanted to talk about earlier this morning."

"Oh…" Akane couldn't hide her disappointment. She had a feeling that was the reason for the shopping trip, but was hoping it wasn't.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," Nodoka assured her. "I think it would be best that you talk to someone about it though," she finished.

Akane was silent as they continued to walk. It was true that she wanted to talk about it, especially to someone as open and kind as Ranma's mother, but she didn't know how to start. She didn't quite understand what went on that morning either. It wasn't different from any other morning, so why did it upset her so much? "Auntie Saotome?" She asked, deciding to give it a go.

"Oh my, isn't that the cutest dress?" she asked, completely missing Akane's question. She pointed towards a store across the street.

Akane looked over to where Nodoka was pointing and saw a yellow sundress. They walked over and Akane looked it over. She had to admit that it was a cute one piece. It was a simple pale yellow sundress. The top had two thin straps for the shoulders and a fairly low cut at the back. The bottom of the dress stopped just above the knees.

"Want to try it on?" Nodoka asked.

"Me?" Akane asked, addressing herself with her finger. She looked at the dress again and frowned. "No thanks."

"Oh come on," Nodoka pleaded, taking Akane's hand and pulling her towards the door gently. "I'm sure you'll look absolutely adorable in it."

"Auntie Saotome, please," Akane blushed. "I'm not a kid anymore."

"Please?" Nodoka begged. Akane didn't want to believe it, but she couldn't help but notice the face she gave was the same one Ranma used as a girl to get free stuff from suckers. More so, she didn't want to believe that she was caving in at seeing it.

"Okay, I'll try it on," she said.

Nodoka smiled and ran into the store as fast as she could in her kimono. Akane walked after her shyly. Nodoka soon returned to Akane holding the small yellow sun dress in her arms delicately. "The changing rooms are at the back," she instructed happily. "Don't forget, a sundress is worn without a bra."

Akane swallowed even though there was nothing in her mouth and became a deep shade of red. "Auntie Saotome!" she cried. "Not so loud!"

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Nodoka giggled. "Lots of girls wear this sort of thing."

Akane sighed. After stepping into the changing room, she began to undress.

****

Ranma, Genma, and Soun sat at Happosai's sides as they waited for him to wake up. As it turned out, their master was not faking his condition, although Ranma insists he had it coming. Soun and Genma didn't argue, but were still worried about what had done this to their master, whom seemed invincible at times.

Kasumi walked in and kneeled as she changed the towel on Happosai's forehead. As she placed the new cloth on his head, the old man began to mumble. "Oh my," Kasumi said. "I think he's coming to."

"She's right," Soun said, amazed. "He's waking up!"

Everyone leaned over as Happosai opened his eyes slowly, not knowing what to expect. "Ranma?" he asked, still a bit groggy.

"Yeah?" Ranma replied.

Happosai looked over at him and nodded. After taking a deep breath he leapt off of the futon he was on and bonked Ranma on the head. "How dare you hit me like that!"

Ranma growled in annoyance and grabbed the old man by the arms. "Would you leg go of that already!?"

"Not until you apologize!" Happosai insisted.

Ranma's eyes turned into slivers as he glared at the old man in his grip. "I'll do no such thing," he scowled.

"You dare show such disrespect for your master!?" Happosai hissed.

"Master, please," Soun interrupted. The two stopped their staring contest and looked at the out of touch martial artist. "Master, what happened to you? Who did this to you?"

Happosai forced Ranma to release him and crossed his legs into a meditative position. "Hmm…"

"Yes, Master?" Genma asked, urging him to speak.

"I don't know," he said plainly.

Everyone, but Kasumi, fell over. Ranma was the first to get back up. "What do you mean you don't know!?" He yelled, slamming his hands onto the ground. "A beating like that doesn't just appear out of thin air!"

"All I can tell you," Happosai said seriously, causing everyone to listen closely. "All I can tell you is that the man who did this to me is unlike any martial artist I've even heard of."

"What?" Genma and Soun both said in astonishment.

"Could it be?" Soun asked.

"A Martial artist beyond what the master has even heard of?" Genma finished the thought, visibly shaken.

Ranma didn't know what to say. He knew that Happosai was an amazing martial artist when he wanted to be, but had no idea of what kind of knowledge he truly had. Happosai nodded, "Indeed. This man used a form I've never seen before."

"Master," Genma said with respect. "Surely your defeat was a misjudgment!"

Happosai crossed his arms and closed his eyes. He sat in that position for a good amount of time before speaking again. "I didn't even touch him."

"No…" Genma lowered his head. He feared that nothing could stop this mysterious martial artist if the master failed to even touch him.

"There…" Happosai sobbed. "There were just too many pretty girls around! I couldn't concentrate!"

Everyone groaned again at Happosai's immaturity. Ranma bonked Happosai on the head, "Hey, can't you be serious about this!?"

"I am being serious!" Happosai shouted back. His ki burned to life suddenly, but cooled down quickly. "All I've said is true," he said. "Beware, Ranma!"

"Eh?" Ranma bent back. "Why should I look out?"

"Because, since it involves martial arts it will no doubt find its way to you," he said.

"And it is your duty as the heir of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts to avenge your master!" Soun said.

"Get serious!" Ranma whined. "I ain't avenging nobody!"

"Ranma!" Happosai began to cry like he always did. "How can you say that? Don't you care about me?"

"Cut the act, old man!" Ranma demanded. He hunched over, ready to punch the second rate actor through the ground.

"Ranma," Genma beckoned. Ranma turned to look at him. "Forget all this foolishness and think about the situation!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Ranma asked.

"A martial artist has appeared with a form unknown to the anything goes school!" Genma stated. "As the heir, it is your duty to secure this art!"

Ranma squinted. "And since when was it the goal of the school to steal other arts?"

"It is our goal to better the school!" his father said proudly. "If that means we must secure other arts, so be it!"

"Whatever!" Ranma yelled, getting to his feet. "You want this unknown art, get it yourself. I'm not looking for trouble."

_Ranma… you should know by now that trouble finds you! Genma thought with a glare. He was certain that no matter what happened Ranma would be faced with this unknown art. "Hmm?" He glanced up as he heard a noise. A scroll painting fell from the wall, revealing a growing crack. "Could it be?"_

****

"Oh my, you look so cute in that dress, Akane!" Nodoka shouted. Her smile was practically ear to ear and her hands were shaking with excitement.

"You really think so, Auntie?" Akane asked, twirling around to view it in the mirror at all angles. The dress suited her almost perfectly. The generously cut top didn't reveal too much of her chest. The top hugged her body fairly tightly while flowing loosely at the bottom.

"Oh, yes!" Nodoka assured her, smiling. "Would like to get it?"

"That's okay, Auntie," Akane said. She had her hands behind her back and tapped a foot behind her nervously while she looked at the ground.

"It's no trouble, Akane," Nodoka insisted. "I'm sure Ranma will just love it."

"Auntie Saotome…" Akane blushed slightly. _She's so utterly clueless… she thought._

"Hmm? Yes, Akane?" Nodoka asked, still smiling as she always did. It was a smile that prevented even Akane from getting frustrated or angry. No matter the situation, the sight of her smile had a calming effect that touched everyone who saw it.

"Do… do you really think Ranma will like it?" Akane asked, turning a bit redder.

Nodoka couldn't help but giggle at Akane's uncertainty. She found it rather cute that Akane valued Ranma's approval so much, but understood where her apprehension came from. Since moving in with the Tendos about a year ago, Nodoka discovered that Ranma criticized Akane quite a bit. She could see that Akane's own image of herself was being affected by the constant insulting. "I'm sure he will," she said.

Akane turned around to look into the mirror again and frowned as she imagined what Ranma would say when she showed it to him. _"Oh, it's perfect for someone as flat chested as you." Yeah, that's probably what he'd say. "I'm not so sure," she said out loud._

"Akane," Nodoka walked up and put her hand on Akane's. "Please, accept it as a gift from me," she said. She was looking into Akane's eyes, urging her with unspoken words to give the little sundress a chance.

"Okay, Auntie," Akane said. She began to walk into the dressing room, but stopped when Nodoka asked her to.

"Why not keep it on, Akane?" Nodoka suggested. She waved over a store clerk and told her to ring up the dress. "We'll take this one, please."

"Of course, ma'am," the clerk said, taking the offered yen bills and moving to the register. Moments later she returned with the change and wished them a good day.

Nodoka and Akane both bowed as they left. Nodoka had a happy smile on her face as they exited while Akane was more bashful. She was happy about the new sundress she was wearing, but still apprehensive about Ranma's potential reaction.

****

Ranma walked without concern on the fence by the river with his hands in his pockets. Before leaving, he had changed into a white Chinese vest and his usual black pants. After he left the discussion about the mysterious martial artist, Ranma needed some fresh air. He was going nowhere in particular, but was unknowingly walking towards the shopping district.

_"It is your duty to secure this art!" He replayed what his father told him in his mind. "Yeah right!" He argued to himself. "Since when was it __my duty to do their dirty work?" he asked towards the sky as if he expected Heaven to answer._

As if on cue, a panda came running down the fence, slapping Ranma over the head with a sign that read "Trouble is coming!"

Ranma bent his knees from the blow and rubbed his head. "Geez, pops! What'd you do that for!?" Ranma took a smell leap and turned around before landing to face his father.

The panda took his sign and flipped it around while waving his paw frantically. The sign read "A bad omen!" The neck of the sign suddenly snapped, dropping the board into the river. The panda panicked, pressing its paws into its cheeks and started to run away.

Ranma kept him in place, however, by grabbing the fur on its back. "And just where do you think you're going?" he asked.

Genma-panda flailed its arms and legs like he was running from death. Finally, he pulled out another sign that read, "Away from you!" This sign also snapped into pieces. Genma-panda's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock and fear.

Ranma grinned. "Well, why didn't you just say so?" he asked with sarcasm in his tone. He released his grip on his father and punted him into the sky. "How about I help you get a head start!?"

Genma-panda yowled as he was punted into the sky. Before leaving view, he pulled out a sign. "Do your best, Ranma!"

"I always do my best!" Ranma shouted after him. When he turned around to continue his aimless journey he noticed that a small crowd had been watching. "What?" he asked simply. He didn't know what the big deal was. Surely the people of Nerima had become accustomed to seeing things like what had just happened by now.

The people in the crowd looked at each other nervously and then cleared the area gradually. Ranma began walking along the fence again, mumbling to himself. _Man, my old man sure gets scared easy. He contemplated. He looked towards where his father had vanished in the sky and then down at the pieces of his signs floating with the river current. __Still… he's usually right when it comes to omens._

Ranma stopped walking and stood with his arms crossed. "Humph…" Ranma closed his eyes and let his ki flow outwards much like he did when he did his perfected Baqua Zhang. He could feel nothing around him save for innocent passer-bys. "There's only one other person the omen could be about then…"

Ranma hopped off of the fence and onto a nearby roof. Taking off at a sprint, he went from roof to roof in search of Akane.

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A/N: Pretty slow chapter to start off, huh? I probably spend too much time with story building, but that's how all my fanfics go.


	2. Are You the Hóngzhong?

Disclaimer: You know what all this stuff means, so why bother reading it? All characters but the ones I create for this purpose of this fanfic are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi. Don't get any funny ideas about suing me.

**Ranma ½: The Tale of Two Dragons**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter 2: Are you the Hó****ngzhong!?**

_Oh Akane… Soon you will know my true feelings. Ryoga walked in deep thought through the shopping district of Nerima. He was carrying a medium sized box in one hand and his umbrella in the other. __Once I give this to you, you'll be mine forever. He lifted the simple box and smiled. As usual, he fantasized about how Akane would react upon receiving his gift._

_"Oh Ryoga, for me?__ You shouldn't have!" she would say._

_"I know it isn't much, but I thought you'd like it," he'd reply humbly._

_"Oh my gosh, Ryoga, I love it!" She'd shout, running into his arms._

Ryoga made a more than happy smile as he continued to fantasize about the possible future. His eyes became distant and drool rimmed his lips. He laughed like a man gone mad inside, and maybe that wasn't too far off. He didn't even notice when someone came up behind him.

"Ryoga?" asked Akane's voice.

Ryoga launched himself into the air at hearing her voice. He immediately began to sweat and waved his arms while speaking in broken sentences. "Akane! Ha… Imagine seeing you here! N… nice weather we're having! I… I was just… out for a walk! Ha… you know me!"

Akane looked at him a bit confused and simply nodded. Nodoka came up next to her with a smile. "Why, it's Ranma's friend!"

Ryoga laughed a bit insanely at the comment and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah… that's me!" he said, just as dryly.

Nodoka giggled at his high spirits. "What do you think of Akane's new dress?" she asked, presenting Akane in her new yellow sundress.

Ryoga stopped laughing and looked her up and down. He was amazed at how well the dress complimented her body and found himself feeling a little warm in the cheeks. "Er… it looks great!" he said, starting to laugh again to try to hide his blush.

Akane smiled at the overenthusiastic compliment. "Thanks, Ryoga! You're so kind!" she said. She was tapping her foot nervously behind her and staring at the ground. "Um…"

Ryoga's laugh settled down to a chuckle while he continued to rub his head uncomfortably. He wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. He could only see that he was making a fool of himself and needed to escape. "Something you want to ask, Akane?" _Idiot! That's not how you escape the situation! He yelled at himself._

"Well…" Akane blushed, making Ryoga feel like he was floating.

_Does she want to ask me something important? Could it be!? Ryoga quickly silenced his hopeful thinking so he wouldn't miss what Akane had to say._

"You're good friends with Ranma… do you think he'll like it?" Akane asked, shattering Ryoga's heart.

The world became a pale blue to Ryoga's eyes as he heard a fine crystal heart shatter within him. Glimmering shards of crystal breaking echoed in his ears. _What? She's doing this to please that jerk, Ranma!? What did he do to deserve such a blessing!? Ryoga swallowed his anger, not wanting to upset his goddess. "I'm sure he will…" he said, not believing what he was saying._

"Really?" Akane clapped her hands together and had an excited smile on her face. Her eyes glimmered with newfound life, making Ryoga feel even worse.

_How could I be so stupid!? He kicked himself mentally for being so delusional. __Akane doesn't even know I'm alive! He shut his eyes before tears could come out and decided it was time for him to go on another "journey". "Well," he said, starting to turn. "I'd better get going."_

"What's that in your hand, Ryoga?" Akane asked before he could leave.

Ryoga's throat went dry as he swallowed. He had become extremely nervous and turned around slowly. "This?" he asked, lifting the box slightly. He saw Akane nod and smile and felt his heart flutter. _Akane… you really do look beautiful in your new dress. But I'd find you beautiful in anything. His lips trembled as he presented the box to her. "It's a…" He paused, unable to continue his sentence. He felt like he was made of stone, and imagined he didn't look far off either._

Akane waited patiently, smiling cheerfully. The gentle breeze blew her new sundress around her legs. She moved a lock of hair from her face and put it behind her ear. "Yes?"

"It's a… a…" Ryoga still couldn't finish. He suddenly became aware of an overbearing presence approaching and grabbed Akane and Nodoka while leaping into the air. "Look out!" he shouted.

The ground where the trio was once standing exploded and crumbled into a circular crater. Ryoga flipped and spun in mid air to shield the two women from the blast's debris. When he landed he gently put them down. "Are you alright?"

Akane and Nodoka were both a bit flustered, but easily calmed down. "Yes, thank you," Nodoka answered.

Akane sighed with relief and put her hand on her chest to qualm her beating heart. When she opened her eyes she noticed that Ryoga's box was no longer in his hand. "Ryoga! What happened to your box?" she cried.

Ryoga didn't understand at first, but soon realized what she was talking about. He looked at his empty hand and wend wide eyed. "What?" he yelled. "Where is it!?" He patted himself down, checking everywhere for the box, but came out empty handed.

"Humph," came a man's voice from behind him. Ryoga turned around to see a cloaked man kneeling in the crater where he once stood. He stood up, revealing himself to be quite tall. Ryoga guessed he was even taller than Ranma. In his hand he held the box Ryoga had gotten for Akane. "Looking for this?"

"You…" Ryoga tried to keep his anger in check and stepped forward. "Give that back!"

The man laughed and twirled the box on his index finger. "Here you go," he said, tossing the box towards Ryoga. Ryoga lifted both his arms to catch the box as it soared through the air. The mysterious man, however, had no intention of giving the package back freely. He thrust his palm forward, shouting a battle cry.

The air in between Ryoga and the man formed into a solid ball. Ryoga was barely able to react in time, but managed to absorb the ki attack by crossing his arms into an x in front of him. He slid back a few feet, tearing the ground underneath his feet from the force of the blow. "What the hell was that for!?" he asked, growing angrier than before. He ignored the lingering pain in his arms. He looked down to see that the box was undamaged, but ignored it for the time being.

The man laughed again, but sounded curious. "Such an amazing ki…" he said, removing his cloak. He was definitely a highly trained martial artist by the looks of his build. Finely toned muscles could be seen through his tightly bit clothing. He wore an emerald green vest made of some sort of scale-like material and white pants similar to Ranma's. A black cloth belt was tied around his waist with extra material hanging by his right leg. On his arms were a golden brace on each arm. Ryoga had seen those sorts of braces before. Ranma wore them often. They were weighted arm braces meant to build strength while training. The man's hair was fashioned into a long pony tail but kept his bangs forward.* His eyes were the same color as his vest.

***I'm bad with describing hair. Basically his hair is like Herb's.**

Ryoga could sense an amazing power from the man and realized he was probably out matched by him.

"Tell me…" the man began to ask, pointing at Ryoga. "Are you the Hóngzhong?" (Pronounced hoo ng jue ng)

Ryoga scoffed at the question and went into a battle stance with his hands ready as fists. "My name is Ryoga Hibiki!" he declared. "Why have you attacked me?"

A crowd had begun to form a circle around the two men with Akane and Nodoka watching nervously behind Ryoga. The people knew from the crater that the strange man was dangerous, but were curious to see what kind of fight could potentially develop.

The man smirked at hearing Ryoga's question, but soon changed to a determined glare. "Answer me!" he shouted, raising his open palm over his head. "Are you the Hóngzhong!?" He threw his palm in an arc and launched another chi attack.

Ryoga used his arms to block the attack again, but was thrown back even further this time. He grunted as his whole body ached from the impact, but returned the favor. "Shishi hokodan!" He uncrossed his arms and threw them forward, hands open with their palms facing the man. His shishi hokodan flew from his hands and at the man, who absorbed it in his fist. "What?"

Akane was surprised. "He absorbed his shishi hokodan like it was nothing!"

Ryoga trembled with a flurry of emotions. Fear of the man's power. Fear for Akane's safety. Anger, because of his inability. Sadness, because of his failure.

The man smirked again as his fist absorbed the energy from Ryoga's shishi hokodan. He stepped out of the crater and asked the same question again. "Tell me… are you the Hóngzhong?"

"I told you, my name is Ryoga Hibiki!" Ryoga yelled in response. The man made an angry face at hearing Ryoga's answer and prepared another chi blast. Ryoga panicked, but kept his composure. "Akane, run!" he yelled. He ran forward and prepared to punch the man, but was quickly caught in his chi blast.

Ryoga quickly fired another shishi hokodan by opening his halted fist to try to ward off the attack, but was completely overpowered. Unable to defend himself, Ryoga was thrown by the chi blast and into the wall of a nearby store.

"Oh no, Ryoga!" Akane cried, trying to rush over to him.

Nodoka restrained Akane in her arms before she could run. "No, Akane! It's too dangerous!"

"I can't just stand here and watch!" Akane argued. "I'm a martial artist too!"

"A… kane…" Ryoga groaned as he got to his feet. His entire body was smoking from the chi blasts. Ryoga could barely stand, but couldn't bear to lose like this in front of Akane. "Stay… out of this…" he said, stepping from the pile of rubble. He let himself sink into a deep depression, accepting the weight of the pain to try one last time to defeat his opponent. A dark blue aura of despair surrounded him, making him feel heavy and tired. It was a feeling he never wanted to feel again, but saw no other way to protect Akane. To protect the woman he loved, Ryoga would use the perfect shishi hokodan that cursed him with an empty heart.

The mysterious martial artist watched as Ryoga was consumed by his aura of despair with amusement. "Humph," he said, turning his back to him. "You cannot be the Hóngzhong," he said.

"I…" Ryoga groaned through his tired lips. "My name… is… Ryoga Hibiki!" He could feel it, the climax, or rather, the bottom of his despair. Ryoga threw his right fist into the air and launched a pillar of chi towards the heavens. "Perfect shishi hokodan!" he cried, calling his depression to come crashing down upon the Earth.

****

"Akane!" Ranma shouted as he hopped from another rooftop. He was hoping to find Akane and his mother walking home for lunch by now, so he was searching the neighborhood, but found no trace of them. "Where are you, Akane!?" _Could they still be shopping? He thought._

Ranma stopped on a particularly tall roof and took a look around. There was no trace of his fiancé or his mother that he could see. "Man… why girls spend so much time shopping I'll never know," Ranma grunted, getting to his feet. "Guess I'll just have to go there."

Ranma was suddenly surrounded by a fierce wind as an explosion was heard in the sky. He looked behind him to see a pillar of light and new instantly what it was. "Ryoga's perfect shishi hokodan?"

Ranma watched as the pillar suddenly fell apart and expanded into a mysterious fog. The fog descended slowly over the shopping district, telling Ranma where Akane and his mother were.

"Don't worry, Akane," Ranma said, running towards the shopping district as fast as he could. "I'm coming!"

****

The mysterious martial artist showed no fear of the powerful attack. He flicked his palm at Ryoga and barked some sort of battle cry. An unseen force struck Ryoga, whipping his head around with such force that his whole body spiraled after it. Ryoga coughed blood as he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Ryoga's perfect shishi hokodan dissipated before striking the ground. The solid pillar of chi evaporated into a curious mist that fell gently over the broken street of the Nerima shopping district. Akane couldn't see what was going on through the cloud of wayward chi, but made out the shadow of the martial artist as he walked towards where Ryoga was standing.

"Oh no…" Akane started to run to where Ryoga was.

"Akane!" Nodoka called after her. She lost sight of the girl in the chi cloud quickly, causing her to panic. "Akane!" she called again. "Come back!"

"Ryoga!" Akane cried again, trying to find him through the heavy fog. She had gotten to where she thought she'd find him, but found nothing but a few fragments of debris. She stopped to gather her thoughts and look more closely. Surely enough, Akane could see the shadow of the mysterious martial artist standing over something. "Ryoga!"

As Akane ran towards the shadows in the mist, she heard one shout, followed by the sound of air bursting and crumbling rocks. When she finally could see what was happening, she saw Ryoga lying with his face against the ground. A puddle of blood had begun to pool by his mouth while his body lay motionless in a small crater.

Akane watched as the martial artist struck Ryoga's silent body with another chi blast from his open palm. The blast crushed Ryoga's body against the cracking cement, eliciting more blood from his mouth.

Akane gasped at how cruel that man was being and ran over to him. Grabbing him by the wrist she yanked him away from Ryoga. "Stop it! Can't you see you've won!?" she shouted, tears outlining her red eyes.

The man released his wrist from Akane's shaky grip and grabbed her by the throat. "You dare challenge me?" she hissed, looking her in the eyes.

Akane began to choke under the man's grip and gasped for air. She grabbed his arm with both her hands and tried to force him to release her, but got no response at all. He stood perfectly still holding her loosely enough to keep her from fainting.

"He… help…" Akane managed to speak through her fleeting breath.

"What's that?" the man asked, smiling. He seemed to enjoy watching her struggle futilely.

"Ra… ran… ma…" Akane finished, loosening her grip on the man's arm.

"Humph… is that all?" the man asked the barely conscious girl. She didn't respond. "You are worthless," he declared, pulling his arm back with her neck still in his grasp. With one fluid swing, the man threw Akane like a doll.

Akane screamed through her freed throat as she was sent flying. She couldn't see where she was going through the haze that remained from Ryoga's evaporated shishi hokodan. She didn't know if the man had sent a chi blast after her to finish her off or if he intended to kill her in another way. _Help me! She cried in her mind, hoping her thoughts would somehow reach someone. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the world go black by force._

To Akane's surprise, she didn't hit the ground hard, or at all. Something caught her in mid flight and gracefully carried her to a gentle stop. Despite no longer flying out of control, Akane remained tense and refused to open her eyes.

"Akane?" a voice asked. It was Ranma's.

Akane's eyes shot open. She looked up to see Ranma's concerned eyes. Two pools of a blue deeper than the oceans of the Earth. He held her in his arms, strong and gentle at the same time. He held her with one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, wrapped around her shoulders. It was how he always held her when he carried her. It was how a man carried someone he loved. Akane pressed herself against Ranma as best she could, feeling a sense of calm in his arms. "Ranma…"

Ranma tightened his hold on Akane slightly, bringing her against his chest. He lowered his head to rest his chin on the top of her head and whispered, "Are you alright?"

Akane placed a hand on Ranma's shoulder and pulled herself even closer. "Yes…" she said, causing Ranma to sigh in relief. "But Ryoga's…" she couldn't get the words out. Akane found pain in simply saying what had just happened.

"Shh…" Ranma shushed her trembling lips and looked forwards as the mist broke apart around a man standing over an unconscious Ryoga. "I understand…"

The man smiled an evil sneer as the mist was thrown away by his aura. "Such an amazing ki… stronger than his…"

Ranma ignored what the man said and gently let Akane down. He was holding her by the waist as he looked into her eyes. "You're sure you're okay?"

Akane sniffled. She was having trouble handling everything that had just happened, but nodded. "I'm fine…" she said.

"You there!" the man yelled, pointing at Ranma.

Ranma kept his hold on Akane's waist, but turned his eyes towards the man. By now, the mist of the shishi hokodan had completely vanished, showing the man clearly.

Seeing he had Ranma's attention, he smiled. "Are you the Hóngzhong?" he asked, just as he had asked Ryoga.

Ranma didn't answer, but returned his attention to Akane, who was trembling again. "Akane…" he said, tilting her head up with his finger under her chin. Her eyes were shiny from tears held back, but the fear was unmistakable in them. "Help Ryoga," Ranma said nothing more. He released his hold on her and replaced one of the straps from her dress so that it was neatly on her shoulder again.

"Ranma…" Akane said as he walked past her. She wanted to stop him, but knew that Ranma wouldn't stand down. He would fight on his honor for Ryoga's sake, if not her own.

"You…" Ranma hissed, cracking his knuckles. His ki began to glow a bright blue.

The man didn't appear interested in Ranma's growing ki and repeated his question. "Are you the Hóngzhong?"

"I don't know who or _what the Hóngzhong is…" Ranma said, continuing to let his ki flow outwards. "But if it's a fight you're looking for, you've found it!" He lifted his fist to give visual flare to his words and readied himself for combat._

Akane had a worried look on her face again. She couldn't shake the feeling of doom in her heart. No matter how much she wanted to believe Ranma could, _would, win, seeing Ryoga lose so easily gave her doubts._

"I'm going to make you pay for what you've done!" Ranma declared.

The man glared at Ranma as he let his own ki flow outwards. Unlike other kis Ranma had seen, his glowed a bright green. A green that burned with an insatiable fire and power that not even Happosai displayed. "Are you, or are you not the Hóngzhong!?" he shouted one more time.

Ranma didn't want to have to explain, so he simply began to circle the man slowly. "Shut up and fight…" he said.

The man studied Ranma shortly before getting into his own stance. His ki continued to grow, its green glow illuminating the entire street.

Ranma studied the man he was fighting. _What a battle aura… he noticed. __No doubt about it. This is the guy who beat up the old pervert. Ranma charged his ki again, preparing to attack. __Better end this one quick! "Moko takabisha!" he shouted, firing a chi blast similar to Ryoga's shish hokodan._

"Ha!" was all the man said in response, firing a chi blast that broke through Ranma's moko takabisha like a hot knife through butter.

"Yow!" Ranma cried, bending backwards until he was parallel with the ground. The chi blast flew over Ranma, burning his face. When the smoke cleared, Ranma still had his feet planted on the ground with his knees bent at a right angle. The rest of his body barely hovered over the ground while his arms and hands formed a sort of surrendering position that Ranma usually used when hit; by Akane anyway.

"Ranma!" Akane cried from behind. She stood with Nodoka, who had finally caught up to her. Ryoga was behind them on a sleeping bag he carried in his back pack. He was still unconscious, but his wounds had been tended to by Akane and were no longer bleeding.

"Duh…" was all Ranma said in response to Akane's cries. He was dazed from what had just happened even though he hadn't been hit directly. He got up slowly and shook his head to clear his dizzy senses. _My moko takabisha was completely useless! Can't afford to allow him to use any more chi attacks. Ranma told himself._

The man had a different idea entirely. He had already begun to charge another chi blast when Ranma made his move.

"Now I have you!" Ranma shouted as he got into the man's face. Ranma meant to punch the man, but was instead thrown back by a chi attack he'd never seen before.

The area around the man seemed to shift completely, forming an invisible barrier that deflected Ranma's body like a ping pong ball. As he collided with the barrier his body felt like it was being crushed by extreme pressure accompanied by a pounding in his ears unlike anything he'd ever experienced. While being thrown back Ranma's hearing was invaded by a loud bursting noise while his whole body felt like it was fire. He didn't even feel anything when he hit the ground; that pain was insignificant compared to the chi attack.

Ranma's body twitched involuntarily as he got to his feet again, slower than last time. "Damn it…" he spat to himself. He was running out of options. _I can't even get near him! … I swore I'd seal this technique away, but I have no choice! Ranma hunched his back and became limp. His ki completely vanished, leaving him a pale body._

"Giving up already?" The man said mockingly. "You cannot be the Hóngzhong!" he stated, running at Ranma as he prepared to finish him off. Ranma remained perfectly still, his ki still absent around him. "Ha!" the man fired… and hit thin air, "What!?"

"He… he disappeared!" Akane exclaimed, wondering what had happened.

"That art!" Nodoka shouted in astonishment. "He knows that?"

"Secret fist, Umisen-ken! White snake venom reliable fist!" shouted Ranma as he appeared behind the man and struck him in the back with a blur of fists. The man was unable to react having lost control of his ki momentarily. He began to fall over from the force of the blows but was suddenly sent backwards as Ranma appeared in front of him and kicked him square in the chest and face. Ranma accomplished this by flipping into a one armed hand stand and swinging his legs up into an arcing mule kick.

"He did it!" Akane shouted.

"My son is so strong," Nodoka cheered.

Ranma flipped back onto his feet, but didn't share Akane or his mother's joy. _There's no way that'll keep him down…_

"Oh my…" Nodoka said, noticing the man starting to recover.

The man got up and wiped some blood from a cut on his cheek and laughed. "For one to hit me…At last… I've found you…" he said. His ki grew more powerful than before, nearly freezing Ranma in fear. "The Hóngzhong…"

"Ack! I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" Ranma argued as he squirmed in place. Although it wasn't the bravest way out, Ranma was hoping the man would decide to leave him alone if he convinced him he wasn't this Hóngzhong. He had no idea how to do that though, because he didn't know what he was trying not to be.

"I will kill you now…" the man said grimly, crossing his arms over his chest and summoning his energy. His entire body glowed a bright green that would have blinded Ranma had he not been too busy freaking out.

"Kill?" Ranma exclaimed, eyes nervous. "Come on, man! You got it all wrong!" He went through his usual repartee of begging and explaining, but the man only continued to collect his energy. _This is bad… Ranma thought as the man's ki continued to grow brighter. __I've gotta think of something fast!_

"Ranma, he sounds serious!" Akane yelled from his right. Ranma couldn't help but notice how worried she was.

Akane's lips were open ever so slightly, speaking words of fear and prayer that Ranma didn't want to hear. He never wanted to hear Akane cry, especially for him. He looked into her eyes, so far away, yet so clear to him. They too held an absolute fear in them, their pools of brown seeming empty and endless. That look in her eyes was enough to send Ranma to his knees, but it also lit a fire of determination within him.

"Are you ready…" the man asked, opening his eyes and smiling, "to die?"

Ranma had to bite his lip to stop himself from whimpering at the thought of death. In his mind, that was actually a possibility, but he wouldn't let his pride be degraded. Ranma didn't reply at all, but kept an icy glare on the man. At least it would have been an icy glare had Ranma been able to suppress his fear. He was unsure of his chances, and it had shown in his eyes as the slightest quiver.

"Heh…" the man laughed slightly at Ranma's silence, seeing and feeling the fear in him. He bent down on his knees, pulled his arms back, and concentrated his ki into his hands. Ranma noted the transfer of the energy and braced himself for whatever form the attack would come in.

The man's face became angry and serious as he took in a deep breath and released it with his ki. "Dragon Cutting Earth Bomb!" The name of the technique echoed in the wind, carried by the force of his attack. His ki spread outwards into a sort of net before exploding into dozens of fine blades.

Ranma reacted by jumping back and watched as the blades cut through the ground and erupted. _The attack is just as it is named… bombs that cut the earth! Ranma back flipped as more blades flew at him, aiming for vital points in every part of his body. As the first blade passed, Ranma felt a strange weight rub against his side like the blade had actually hit him, but didn't cut his flesh. He had no time to look to see if he had been hit as another blade neared him. Ranma quickly twisted his torso and released the tension like a rubber band, causing him to spin out of his flip and land on the ground with the blade harmlessly passing his left hip. Again, he felt like his side was struck by a burning coal._

"Damn… he's pushing me back without a problem!" Ranma yelled, flipped backwards again as another wave of chi blades sliced through the ground like shark fins in the ocean. As the blades erupted in the ground, debris and smoke was released into the air. Ranma put his arms over his face to shield it from the shards of stone and shut his eyes against the dirt that floated with the smoke.

Ranma stopped momentarily to take a peek only to see more waves of blades flying towards him. He leapt back once more to avoid one blade, but was hit on the left side by a second blade. Rather than cutting Ranma all the way through, the blade exploded after slicing a fine cut into his flesh. The torn flesh along with the explosion left an intense burning sensation along his torso. Ranma winced in pain and grabbed his wound. His hand felt warm blood leaking from the cut, but also a thin layer of cauterized skin. The explosion of the chi blade had actually caused his wound to nearly burn shut, relieving Ranma slightly.

Before Ranma could recover from the injury and get to his feet, a third blade sliced into the ground near his feet and detonated. Ranma rolled sideways to the right, covering his wounded left with his arm, but was unable to avoid the debris from the explosion. Fine powder of dirt and cement was kicked into Ranma's face, stinging his eyes. Ranma flung his head back and rubbed his eyes, trying to alleviate the burning that forced them shut.

With his vision now gone, Ranma had to rely on his ability to sense the chi blades in order to avoid them. He hopped from street to wall to pole to tree, never stopping to even catch his breath. The burning in his eyes gradually dimmed to a hot sensation, but Ranma kept them shut, not wanting to risk further damage. His ears were flooded with the sounds of stone being torn from the ground and trees shattered and burned to their roots.

Finally, the noises quieted to low rattle of settling debris and fine dirt sifting in the wind. Ranma rubbed his eyes with his left arm while keeping his right tightly wrapped around his sealing cut. The blood had nearly stopped running, but Ranma knew from experience that any drastic activity would cause the wound to open again.

Ranma's eyes still felt irritated, but he could at least open them again. He didn't know if it was the smoke in the air or his eyes that made everything look blurry. Ranma blinked several times as the smoke cleared and gradually got his sight back. What he saw was a two block long path of destruction. The street was little more than a field of craters and ruptures while walls lay fallen. Several trees in the park beyond the walls were reduced to ash and blackened soot covered wood. Ranma had never seen anything like it. Not even when fighting Saffron had he witnessed such a widely destructive attack.

"At least no one was hurt," Ranma noted. He sighed a bit of relief at the fact and looked forward from his perch on a standing segment of a brick wall. The smoke had cleared mostly, little patches of fog floating slowly through the clearing air.

Ranma saw the man standing with his fists on his hips at the far end of the destroyed street. He looked proud of his destruction with a grin in his lips and a cold look in his eyes. He didn't look the least bit tired from the attack, much to Ranma's disappointment. _This guy never stops…_

"Why not stop running and come forth?" the man asked musingly.

"Shut up…" Ranma managed to mumble. There was little power behind his words, but Ranma had nothing else to say. He hopped off of the rubble he was perched on and cradled his healing wound.

"Such determination," the man said, sounding aggravated at Ranma's stubbornness. "Much more than I'd expect from a mere human…"

"I'm full of surprises," Ranma said, smiling with newfound confidence. He had a few more tricks to try before thinking about throwing in the towel.

The man didn't seem to pick up on Ranma's hint and continued to laugh lightly. "You fought well, boy, but it's over," he declared. He turned his back to Ranma and brushed his ponytail behind him from his shoulder. "You are not the Hóngzhong. I have sensed as much." Having said that, the man began to walk away like the fight was nothing special.

As the man began to walk away Ranma pointed at him and shouted at the top of his lungs. "It's not over!"

The man stopped, but didn't turn back around. "You've lost the fight, boy," he said darkly. He turned his face around to look at Ranma through the corner of his eye. The eye was glowing green like his ki had earlier, making the man appear other than human. Ranma was beginning to think he wasn't human by the way he spoke about him. "Continue and it will be your life that you lose."

"I haven't lost anything!" Ranma shouted. "I won't let you leave here until you've paid for what you did to Akane!"

"Ranma…" Akane moaned quietly to herself. "Stop…" She wanted to turn away, not wanting to watch Ranma be hurt anymore, but was frozen in place. Every spec of her being had become frozen with worry and sorrow. In her heart, she begged for Ranma to stop, but couldn't utter the words.

"Hmm…" the man hummed his curiosity and looked around until he saw a worried girl with raven black hair standing near the boy who had called himself Ryoga. "Don't be foolish, boy," he said, turning around to face Ranma again.

Ranma clenched his teeth and tightened his hands into fists. "I know what I'm doing!" he hissed.

"Do you?" the man asked. He looked at the girl that Ranma called Akane once more. She was standing with her hands folded at her chest and her eyes stricken with worry. She looked no more alive than a statue in her current state. The man quickly came to his conclusion and chuckled.

"The hearts of men are such weak temples!" he mused. His slight chuckling had become full blown laughter now. "Very well…" the man began to taunt Ranma by beckoning him to attack him with his right hand. He got his laughter under control and smiled, "fight me in vain for the woman!"

"It's not in vain!" Ranma shouted as he ran at the man. His fists were raised high at his sides, ready to fly forward. "Kachu tenshin amaguriken!" Ranma shouted, sending his fists into a flurry of punches at every vital point on the man's body.

The man dodged around most of the blows by twisting and swaying his body from side to side while blocking and parrying the remaining strikes with his hands and arms. "Not bad, boy!" he teased through the storm of fists.

Ranma didn't respond to the comment the man threw at him and continued to fire away with his fists. He began to grow tired, but refused to let up. He was determined to find a hole in the man's defenses.

"This has gone on long enough," the man decided. With Ranma's fists flying wildly through the air, it was easy for the man to strike him. He stopped dodging the blows and began to block and parry the blows with both his hands in a form similar to Ranma's kachu tenshin amaguriken. It wasn't long before Ranma fell behind and began to feel a blow to his face and chest every now and then.

_Damn it! Ranma cursed in his mind while he tried to regain some ground. __He's able to match me move for move!_

The man smiled as Ranma's attacks became slower and decided that enough was enough. He put more power in a punch to Ranma's cheek and sent him stumbling back out of his attack. Before Ranma could recover and make another move, the man stepped forward and kicked him in the face.

Ranma stumbled back even further this time, stopping against a wall. His whole head was spinning from the two blows it had just received and his stomach wasn't far behind. The man finished him off with a punch to his gut that sent his back into the brick wall. The wall fractured and caved around his body barely able to withstand the impact. Ranma exhaled the little air that was left in his lungs at the crushing blow and was sure he choked out blood along with his breakfast.

Ranma was on the brink of unconsciousness. It took everything he had just to breathe in a single breath of air. His ears rang like a mental alarm of his condition while his vision blurred into a haze of colors. His nose burned with the stench of blood that probably filled it.

As he fell to the ground and on his knees, Ranma's mind began to feel distant while the sound of laughter echoed through the ringing in his ears. He didn't know if it was in his confused mind or reality, but Ranma heard something else beyond the laughter. He heard Akane crying.

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A/N: Sorry the chapter took so long. It took me a while to decide how to end this fight and my computer science lab took most of my waking hours the past week to do…


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